Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RIC

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.

Also called: Marine Engineer, Marine Surveyor, Naval Architect, Naval Architect Specialist, Marine Architect, Marine Design Engineer, Marine Engineering Consultant, Marine Structural Designer.

O*NET 17-2121.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $112,230; Middle half earn $99,250 to $137,690. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 53% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +6% · Faster than average; 8,500 jobs in 2024, projected 9,000. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Marine engineers and naval architects".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives.
Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, and economy.
Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses.
Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacement, and draft.
Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost.
Supervise other engineers and crew members and train them for routine and emergency duties.
Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety.
Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Writing3.8 / 5
Speaking3.8 / 5
Mathematics3.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology4.3 / 5
Mechanical4.2 / 5
Design4.0 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Transportation3.7 / 5
Mathematics3.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic79
Investigative79
Artistic27
Social5
Enterprising38
Conventional55

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

marine engineer · DE Ingenieur Schiffbau und Meerestechnik/Ingenieurin Schiffbau und Meerestechnik · FR ingénieur en construction navale/ingénieure en construction navale
naval architect · DE Schiffsarchitekt/Schiffsarchitektin · FR architecte naval/architecte navale
marine engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Seefahrzeuge/Zeichnerin Seefahrzeuge · FR dessinateur en génie maritime/dessinatrice en génie maritime
marine chief engineer · DE Erster Technischer Schiffsoffizier/Erste Technische Schiffsoffizierin · FR chef mécanicien
ship assistant engineer · DE Zweiter Technischer Schiffsoffizier/Zweite Technische Schiffsoffizierin · FR second mécanicien/seconde mécanicienne

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Mechanical engineers (professional) (2122)94,400 employed
Quantity surveyors (2453)45,300 employed
CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (3120)54,900 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.55. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-2121).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test